Chapter 46 ~ Invitations.

Maxine woke up early in the common room, confused for a second then the night before flooding back to her. AsbTheon had made sure of, she didn't remember the prediction or what they had talked about, only the pleasantness of their conversation and the bonding that had happened between them during it. Therefore the ruling emotion for her as she sat up and made her way back to her dormitory, was joy. A warm, happy feeling that spread throughout her and contrasted drastically with the emotions she had felt the night before. Not that she remembered them.

Slipping into her dormitory, she fetched her watch from the chest of draws and found it was half six, meaning she had narrowly missed the first early birds of her house. Trying not to wake Ava or Rose, she tiptoed over to her wardrobe and opened the door - however, that was the first mistake. The door gave a high pitched creak which stirred Ava, who rolled over. Trying to avoid an angry golden girl, Maxine close the wardrobe door. That was the second mistake. It banged against a hanger inside and caused Ava and Rose, both unfortunately light sleepers, to sit up in bed almost in unison and verbally attack her, though both reactions varied.

"LESTRANGE! What on earth are you doing waking me up at this time! Wait till I get my hands on you!"

"Arghh Maxie! For god's sake, if you're going to get up at this ungodly hour at least try not to wake me!"

Ava was glaring venemously at her and Rose chucked a pillow at her wearing a moody, half-asleep look, but Maxine, rather than being apologetic, couldn't help but laugh. Her happiness was clear then, as she began to chuckle at her two room mates with their bed heads, squinted eyes (the charmed curtains had opened at the sound of voices and released bright light into the dormitory) and furious faces and then started to full-scale laugh as the anger in their faces increased.

"Maxie!" Rose shouted angrily, despite her mouth having turned up slightly at the corners due to Maxine's laughter.

"Oh god...sorry...sorry..."  Maxine attempted to straighten her face and failed, laughing again. Ava's pillow followed and Maxine, thinking it best to escape her angry roommates, threw open the wardrobe doors once more, grabbed some clothes and skipped into the bathroom to change, still chuckling as she did so.

Stefan didn't miss her new mood when she met him in the common room, having evaded a still-furious Ava and almost colliding with Lysander Scamander as she energetically approached. He was happy that she was happy, but also intrigued. Maxine's mood the night before had been strange...he shrugged to himself. Hormones, it must be.

"Have a good night?" She asked, taking her bag off one of the hooks by the door and exiting the common room.

"Yeah." He answered with a shrug. "What about you?"

It was there Maxine grew slightly flustered. She couldn't tell him about the meeting with Theon, nor express how much she had enjoyed it, to him. Instead, she made her answer nonchalant.

"Typical, really, though I woke up unusually early. Probably cause I went to bed to soon." She laughed, the looked at him. "Why're you in so early, though?"

He laughed, raising his eyebrows. "Max, I get up at this time every morning."

Maxine, surprised, took a moment to register this before laughing. "Really? I never knew."

"That's because you're usually still snoozing." He teased, grinning. She shoved him playfully and they continued to walk, a pause setting in before Stefan spoke again.

"You done with that Divination homework?" He asked, bringing up the typical topic of academia.

She nodded, smiling. "Yeah - though I dread the next lesson. Last time was-" She broke off, frowning.

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Max? Is there anything wrong?"

She creased her brow, stopping mid step. "I...no, nothing's wrong...I just..." She rubbed her forehead. "I can't remember what happened last lesson."

It was an incredibly strange sensation for Maxine. Having an excellent memory, it was very weird for her not to remember what happened in a lesson, even if she didn't remember what they'd been taught. But as soon her mind went back to the previous divination lesson, it went blank and hazey. In fact, she couldn't remember anything between the time when the lesson started and she, Stefan and Rose had been to visit Fauna in the hospital wing.

Stefan frowned. "You can't remember any of it?"

She shook her head. "No." Her voice was mystified as she tried to remember what had happened. Goving up, she dropped her hand to her side again, beginning to walk once more. "Never mind," she shrugged "it must just be a mental block." She turned back to her friend. "Have you done the homework?"

Stefan nodded. "Yup. Took me ages, though. Only got it finished last night."

The rest of the conversation on the way down to breakfast consisted of this, with a few comments in the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend. The halls were empty and breakfast hadn't started when they got there, though, so they diverted their path to the library. That to seemed pretty empty, the only sound being that of the pages of the log book turning softly in the absence of Professor Greenwich, the librarian. 

Stefan turned to Maxine as they stood at the entrance. "Ok, I'm just gonna pick up that book on Magizoology. You've got to get out that Steinbeck novel, haven't you?"

Maxine nodded - she was reading the works of a muggle writer called John Steinbeck and they could be found in the non-magical section. "Yup - I'll get that and then we can check of breakfast has begun."

"Ok. Come and find me when you're ready." Stefan replied before turning away to make his way to the magizoology section. Maxine, after hiking her bag up onto her shoulder, also approached the section where she could find her desired volume. She soon found the book, slipping 'The Red Pony' off the shelf, surveying the cover and then putting in her school bag. The library seemed to be a constant habitat for her and Stefan. It was her aim to ad every book she coul in there, as he claimed to have done, and it was also a haven free of the golden twins. Avery and Ava rarely netted the vicinity - most likely because they had all the books they needed anyway, on account of their previously large sums of money. Thei servant, however, seemed to be quite at home there.

Maxine passed Theon on her way over to the section where Stefan lingered, but, of course, stopped when she saw him. He looked up at the opportune moment and smiled at her, closing his book as she started towards him. However, a small, bouncing figure intercepted her.

"Maxie!" Lily Potter jumped into view and greeted her. Maxine, still looking at Theon, grinned, then turned her attention to her little sister.

"Hey Lil - you're up early."

Lily laughed, her face dimpling. "I'm usually up at this time." 

Maxine grinned in return. I've discovered quite a few early birds today, she thought to herself with amuse,net before turning back to her sister. "What're you doing here, though?" 

Lily smiled. "I just thought I'd say hi. I need to get a book out on charms." She pulled a face. "I still haven't got the hang of the levitation charm."

Maxine smiled affectionately. "Don't worry, you'll get it." She looked around. "What's the book called?"

Lily creased her brow. "Quintessential something...." She frowned. "I can't really remember."

Maxine laughed and approached a shelf. "Don't worry - I think this is the one you're looking for." She pulled Quintessential Magic; An Introduction to Charms off a nearby chef and handed it to her sister.

"That's the one! Thanks Maxie." Lily grinned and took the book, hugging it to her chest.

Maxine couldn't help but laugh. "Good luck with the levitation charm."

"I'll get it." Replied Lily with a grin, echoing Maxine's previous words. "Anyway, I need to go and find another one as well." Lily made to go. "Oh and Maxie, there's a letter from Mum and Dad for you at the Ravenclaw table; I saw it arrive."

Maxine's smile grew wider. "Thanks Lil. See ya!"

She turned as her sister walked off, looking back to the place where Theon had been. Unfortunately, the boy had now disappeared, so, with a shrug that might have hinted at disappointment, she headed over to where Stefan was, her friend looking up as she approached and closing his book to slip it into his bag.

"Ready to go to breakfast?" She asked when she reached him.

"Yup." Answered Stefan, buckling his satchel. "I hope they have hash browns again, I'm starving."

Maxine laughed as they began to walk. "You're almost as obsessed about hash browns as I am about Bakewell tarts." She teased, Stefan grinning in return.

"Well unfortunately there are no Bakewell tarts at breakfast, so we can't rave about our favourite foods together."

Maxine pushed him again as they approached the open doors of the great hall. "Ok, ok, I'll admit, I am obssessed with Bakewell tarts."

There weren't any Bakewell tarts at the Ravenclaw table, but there was pretty much everything you could ask for at breakfast, as usual. But as Stefan dug into his craved hash browns, Maxine pounced on a much more precious treasure. Lily had been right, Harry and Ginny had written. Typically their letters were rarer for Maxine, both beg very busy and having three other children to write to as well. Still, the wait of a fortnight had been worth it - the latest message from her parents was not only heartening but also imbued excitement.

"Stefan!" She nudged her friend with her elbow a little harder than intended and caused him to slop tea down his shirt. "Stefan, my-"

"Woah, Max, try not to make me scald myself, would you?" Cut in Stefan, mopping boiling tea off his top.

Maxine flickered her eyes over his wet clothing but was to exited to linger on it. "Sorry. But look, Stefan, my parents have invited me home for Christmas." She thrust the letter into his hands and looked at him with concern as he read the few lines. "I think it'd be safe. Don't you? I mean, my dad is an auror."

Taking a minute go realise what she was going on about, Stefan answered after a pause, his tone surprisingly hesistant. "Well, yeah, but...I'll miss you, Max."

She looked at him in surprise. "What? You'll be coming with me, you dolt! They said I could bring friends home with me. They want to meet you." She looked concerned as Stefan froze slightly. "Unless you're going home for Christmas, that is..." She trailed off as her friend turned to her stiffly. "Is there anything wrong, Stefan?"

His frozen expression finally broke. "I...I...there's nothing wrong." He suddenly smiled a wide beaming, smile and his voice was joyful as he went on. "I'd love to come home with you for Christmas!" He laughed at himself. "I thought I was just gonna left alone at Hogwarts for the holidays."

"You'd never be left alone at Hogwarts." Said Maxine, laughing incredulously. "Where you go, I go." She grinned, suddenly exited. "I can't wait! I feel like a little kid again, thinking of Christmas."

Stefan laughed with her, opening his mouth to speak but cut across by Rose as she said down on the other side of Maxine, eyes still sleepy. "What's all this about Christmas?" Asked Rose, yawning and blinking at Maxine and Stefan.

Maxine grinned, eyes sparkling. "My foster parents have invited me home to Christmas, as I hoped they would, and said I could bring friends back as well. Stefan's coming-" she paused, then looked at Rose with excitement. "Rose, d'you wanna come too?"

Rose suddenly opened her eyes wide, awake at once. "What? Me come and stay with the Potters for Christmas?"

Maxine nodded, beaming. "That is, if you're not going home or to Jack's for the holidays."

Rose shook her head. "No - my parents are away visiting my aunt and uncle and Jack's family don't have any room." Her eye also filled with excitement. "I'd love to come and stay with you!"

Maxine grinned. "Well that's settled then!" She looked from Stefan to Rose with happiness. "We three are gonna spend Christmas together!"

 Rose added what they were all thinking after the slight pause, grinning as she said it. "It's gonna be awesome."